Striping apparatus



Nov. 20, 1962 e. T. GORE STRIPING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 INVENTOR.

GRIN 6 7: 60195 BY 75 22 2 @4144 Nov. 20, 1962 G. T. GORE STRIPING APPARATUS h kmuw INVENTOR. Gill 8 7.' 60/?5 twflaM 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ELLIIIII {g Filed Aug. 22, 1960 Nov. 20, 1962 G. T. GORE 3,064,621

STRIPING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 22, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. GfiAVfiS 7.' 60/76 Nov. 20, 1962 e. T. GORE STRIPING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 22. 1960 '4'; IN VEN TOR. mm V56 7. some 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Aug. 22, 1960 JTTOP/Yi/S 3,664,621 Patented Nov. 20, 196 2 fdi 1 STRIPING APPARATUS Graves T. Gore, Ware Shoals, S.C., assiguor to Riegel Textile Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 22, 1960, Ser. No. 51,077 8 Claims. (Cl. 118-411) This invention relates in general to apparatus for striping base materials, and more particularly to an improved form of striping apparatus incorporating a pair of closely spaced feeding rolls arranged for pressure discharge of a thixotropic thermoplastic composition in a plurality of striping deposits from spaced discharge nozzles of a supply reservoir, such as is disclosed and claimed in copending application Serial No. 691,988, filed May 2, 1960.

According to the present invention, such apparatus is provided in an improved form that allows effective compartmenting of the supply reservoir so that diiferent colored striping materials can be fed the supply reservoir discharge nozzles to obtain novel multicolor striping effects, and that further provides for transverse oscillation of the base material being striped so as to elaborate uniquely the striping pattern or configuration produced.

These and other features of the present invention are described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG, I is a side elevation of striping apparatus embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a related side elevation detail illustrating a modified form of means for oscillating the base material web being striped;

FIG. 3 isaplan view corresponding-generally to FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a left end elevation corresponding generally to FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a detail illustrating further the arrangement of the compartmenting means provided above the feeding rolls;

FIG. 6 is a transverse sectional detail illustrating a modified arrangement of the supply reservoir illustrated in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a plan detail of a further modified arrangement for the base material oscillating means;

FIG. 8 is a corresponding fragmentary detail of a modified actuating arrangement for the oscillatingmeans illustrated in FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a left end elevation corresponding generally to FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a plan detail of a representative striped base material such as may be produced according to the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a further plan detail of a varied form of striped base material illustrating further the selective striping effects that may be obtained according to the present invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, and more particularly at first to FIG. 1 the illustrated embodiment of the striping apparatus of the present invention is seen in FIG. 1 as comprising means for depositing a striping material at spaced intervals on a lengthwise traveling web of a given base material to be striped, such depositing means being indicated generally by the reference numeral 10; in combination with means for oscillating the lengthwise traveling base material web in the widthwise direction thereof as striping material is deposited thereon, such oscillating means being indicated generally by the reference numeral 11.

The web oscillating means 11- includes a web engaging roll 12 suitably formed with needle-surfaced segments 13, that acts to allow a lengthwise traveling web W (see FIG. 4) to run freely thereover while gripping the web W continuously through penetration by the needle-surfaced segmerits 13 so that lengthwise shifting of roll 12 will cause corresponding shifting of the web W in its widthwise direction. For such shifting, the roll 12 is mounted at spaced bearing standards 14 on a carriage bar 15 that is slidably arranged on a fixed frame member 16 by positioning studs 17 extended through elongated slots in the frame member 16, as indicated at 18, so as to allow lengthwise shifting of roll 12 in the previously mentioned widthwise web direction.

To actuate such shifting of roll 12, the carriage bar 1 5 has a lever 19 pivoted at 20 thereon (compare FIGS 1 and 4) that is fulcrumed intermediate its length about a pivot stud 21 carried by the frame member 16, and has a connecting rod 22 running to the remote end thereof from a crank plate 23 as seen in FIG. 1. Alternatively, a cam member 24 as seen in FIG. 2 may be used in place of the crank plate 23, in which case an additional following lever 25 is pivoted on the frame member 16 adjacent the cam member 24 with a connecting rod- 26 running therefrom to the lever 19, while a tension spring 27 is extended from an anchor point on the frame member 16 to bias the lever 1 for following motion with respect to the cam member 24. FIGS; 10 and 11, which are referred to more in detail further below, illustrate respectively the characteristic striping patterns that result from a crank mechanism actuation of the type shown in FIG. 1 as compared with a cam arrangement actuation such as FIG. 2 illustrates, and a very substantial further pattern variation can be obtained through selection' ofsuch operating conditions as the particular stroke amplitude and relative speed of crank actuation of relative speed and form of cam actuation.

For driving a crank mechanism or cam arrangement such as is describe above, the crank plate or cam member 24, as the case may be, is mounted on a driven shaft 2 8 that is mechanically connected, as indicated at 29in FIG. 1, for driving from a take-up drive means; represented at 30 in PEG. 1, by which the web Wis caused to travel continuously through the striping apparatus of the present invention. The take-up drive means 30 may be of any conventional form such as is commonly employe'dfor drawing a web through processing apparatus, and the mechanical connection 29 therefrom to the driven shaft 28- may likewise be provided in any conventional form and may incorporate a suitable speed change means or be arranged to employ change gears, if desired, to adjust the timed relation at which the roll 12 will be shifted with respect to the travel of the web W by' the above indicated arrangement The previously indicated take-up" drive means 30 is also mechanically connected as indicated at 31- in FIG. 1 to a drive shaft 32 through which the previously mentioned striping material depositing means 10 is operated; this driven shaft 32 extending to carry a feeding roll 33 that is paired with a second feeding roll 34 arran'gedfor operation generally as disclosed and claimed in the previously noted" copending" application Serial No. 691,988. As seen in FIGS; 1, 3 and 4,- the feeding" roll 33 carried on the driven shaft 32 is clamped in place to rotateabout a fixed axis in bearing blocks 35 by notched cap bars 36; while' these cap bars 36 are formed with oversize notches for bearing blocks 37 in which ashaft 38"for. the paired feeding roll" 34 is mounted, and are fitted with adjusting studs at 39 for regulating the spacing at the nip of the paired rolls 33 and 34* to obtain'the striping material feeding action desired as-ref'erred' to more in detail below. The adjustable feeding roll 34 is driven through a geared-connection at 49 of. the shaft 38' therefor with the driven shaft 32, and the driving direction is such that the. peripheral surfaces of the paired feeding rolls 33 and 34 travel downwardly in the same direction at the nip thereof for feeding striping materialtherebetween. The geared connection between the shafts 32 and 38 is further arranged so that one of the feeding rolls 33 rotates at a faster rate than the other to facilitate the feeding action obtained.

Below these feeding rolls 33 and 34, the depositing means 10 otherwise comprises an elongated supply reservoir 41 mounted to extend widthwise above the path of the web W to be striped and having the feeding rolls 33 and 34 arranged lengthwise thereof. In this supply reservoir 41, respective doctor blades 42 and 43 also extend lengthwise for doctoring action at the peripheral surfaces of the feeding rolls 33 and 34 on the discharge side of the nip thereof, adjusting screws 44 and 45 being provided to set the doctor blades 42 and 43 for this purpose. Striping material fed downwardly between the rolls 33 and 34 is accordingly accumulated within the supply reservoir 41 between the doctor blades 42 and 43, and when the supply reservoir 41 is filled in this manner the rolls 33 and 34 act in the nature of a pump to discharge striping material simultaneously from a plurality of discharge nozzles 46 spaced lengthwise of the supply reservoir 41 adjacent the bottom thereof, and at which a web W may be trained to receive such discharge in the form of stripes thereon as the web is caused to travel lengthwise through the apparatus.

Additionally, the depositing means 10 is arranged for separating different colored supplies of striping material at the entrance side of the feeding rolls 33 and 34, when desired, through a compartmenting arrangement incorporating a plurality of composite partitions 47 arranged in a frame work supported endwise of the feeding rolls 33 and 34 by end plates 49 that form the ends of the supply reservoir 41 and extend upwardly therefrom. The composite partitions 47 are formed by a central tongue element 50 that is shaped at its lower end for closely conforming disposition at the entrance side of the nip of the feeding rolls 33 and 34 and that is assembled with partition plates 51 at each side thereof extending respectively over the pair of feeding rolls 33 and 34. The partition plates 51, as seen best in FIG. have substantially semicircular notches 52 at the bottom edges thereof, and have slotted adjacent side edge portions 53 (compare FIGS. .3 and 5) at which they are disposed 'over opposite edges of the tongue elements 50 and assembled therewith by pivot pins 54 adjacent the upper ends of the tongue ele- "ments 50 so as to find a proper riding disposition on the respective feeding rolls 33 and 34. The previously mentioned frame work.48 is slotted, as seen at 55 in FIG. 3, forspacing the composite partitions 47 at the intervals desired while allowing them to ride on the feeding roll surfaces.

When a compartmenting arrangement of the type described above is used there are advantages in modifying the arrangement of the supply reservoir 41, as seen in FIG. 6, to incorporate a filler member 56 running lengthwise thereof to reduce the space therein 50 that the feeding of striping material to the discharge nozzles 46 .ismore direct. When this is done, the doctor blade for the feedingroll 34 may be carried by the filler member 56 as indicatedat 43' to carry separator plates 58 thereon, for biasing by leaf springs 59, to dispose an end thereof in extending relation at the discharge side of the feeding rolls 33 and 34 that is shaped to conform closely with the discharge side of the feeding roll nip, so that the separator plates 58 when spaced in correspondence with the composite partitions 47 have a channeling action for different colored striping materials delivered by the feeding rolls. Separator plates 58 of this sort are not essential, because the striping materials of the type contemplated for use according to the present invention maintain substantial separation between different colors thereof when delivered to the feeding rolls 33 and 34 by compartmenting means of the type previously described above, but it is sometimes difiicult to maintain an exactly parallel setting of the adjustable'feeding roll 34 with the fixed feeding roll 33 and any lack of precise parallel adjustment has a tendency to cause a sidewise feeding pressure in the supply reservoir 41, so that a particular colored striping material being fed from between two of the composite partitions 47 may be directed sidewise in the supply reservoir 41, so as to issue from discharge nozzles 46 that are not aligned as closely as desired with the compartmenting means, and the separator plates 58 may be used advantageously when needed to deal effectively with any difficulty of this sort.

As previously indicated, the apparatus of the present invention is intended for striping base materials with thixotropic thermoplastic compositions, and these compositions are unique in nature and handle uniquely in apparatus of the type described above. These thixotropic thermoplastic compositions are of the type disclosed in copending application Serial No. 698,056, filed November 22, 1957, and a representative example of a basic uncolored composition of this sort suitable for handling in the apparatus of the present invention is as follows:

Example I 7 Parts by Weight Vinyl chloride polymer-Goon #121 1100 Vinyl chloride polymer-Geon #126 900 Flexol plasticizer A-26--Di (2-ethylhexyl) adipate 1090 Stabilizer A-5Diglycidyl ether of diphenyl propan Motor oil lubricant 20 Titanox RATitanium oxide pigment 30 To 1600 parts of the above uncolored composition the following amounts of each of the colors listed below are added in the proportions shown to provide different colored compositions:

Thixotropic thermoplastic compositions of the type specified above are characterized by a relatively high viscosity that causes them when supplied at the entrance side of the feeding rolls 33 and 34 to assume a more or less cylindrical rope-like form thereat from which the action of the feeding rolls progressively carries a portion thereof through the feeding roll nip for accumulation in the supply reservoir 41 and discharge from the striping nozzles 46. If no compartmenting means is used above the feeding rolls 33 and 34, this rope-like mass will extend throughout the length of the roll nip between the end plates 49 for delivery as a common mass to the discharge nozzles 46.

When partition members 47 are disposed above the feeding rolls 33 and 34, however, and different colored striping materials, such as the compositions specified above, are fed selectively between these partition members 47, the respective supplies of the diflferent colored striping materials will be separated at the entrance side of the feeding rolls and each supply will be disposed as a relatively short rope-like mass thereat for progressive feeding through the roll nip. Under such circumstances, the feeding action of the rolls 33 and 34 is the same as if no compartmenting means were used except that feeding of the different colored striping materials takes place side by side and the relatively high viscosity of these materials has adjacent groups of stripes S and S" deposited thereon in different colors, the stripes S and S" being represented in a form such as would result from shifting of. the web W during the striping operation by means of a crank mechanism such as is shown in FIG. 1; although this web shifting might alternatively be dispensed with to obtain a striped pattern in similarly contrasting colors formed by striping deposits running straight in the lengthwise direction of the web W with equally striking color contrast.

The previously noted property of the thixotropic thermoplastic compositions to remain separate during feeding in the apparatus of the present invention results in well defined color zones running lengthwise of the base material. In the stripes disposed at the border between two color zones, there is usually some mixing of the different colored compositions, although even here the colors tend to be stratified in the border stripes and the result is to provide a pleasing transition shade or effect from one color zone to another.

FIG. further illustrates a varied striping pattern such as would be obtained on a base material web W with stripes S of the type resulting from transverse shifting of the web W through the operation of a cam arrangement such as is illustrated in FIG. 2. Color contrasts may be obtained with equal facility in a pattern such as FIG. 11 illustrates, and an almost endless further variation in pattern and color contrast is likewise readily obtainable with the apparatus of the present invention.

In this latter connection, additional flexibility in providing for the particular striping pattern desired may be provided by arranging the web engaging roll 12 on a carriage bar 60, as seen in FIG. 7, with a pivot lever 61 connected at one end thereof for operation about a pivot axis at 62 that is arranged for substantial adjustment to vary the shifting amplitude of the roll 12 in relation to a parallel counter slide member 63 having the other end of the pivot lever 61 connected therewith, together with a connecting rod 64 from a crank mechanism 65. Alternatively, the counter slide member 63 may be operated from a cam element 66 arranged at one end thereof as seen in FIG. 8, with a tension spring 67 provided as shown in FIG. 7 to cause following action at the cam element 66.

In a carriage arrangement for the roll 12 of this sort, the carriage bar 60 may also be fitted with extending arms 68 as seen in FIGS. 7 and 9 to receive slidably the lower ends of depending legs reaching downwardly from a sleeve 71? arranged over a shaft 71 having pinions 72 engaged at racks 73 carried on suitably arranged fixed frame members 74, so that by manipulation of a handle 75 and lock nut 76 at one end of the shaft 71 it may be elevated and lowered selectively for training a web W from the web engaging roll 12 in relation to the discharge nozzles 46, as seen in FIG. 9, the sleeve 70 under such circumstances acting as a web guide roll or surface spaced in parallel relation from the web engaging roll 12 and shifting transversely with the same motion as the web engaging roll 12 while the web W is caused to pass thereover.

The present invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by this description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for applying stripes to a lengthwise traveling web of base material comprising a reservoir extending across said lengthwise traveling web and having a plurality of orifices spaced at intervals widthwise of said web for depositing a striping material from said reservoir through said orifices and onto said web in the form of stripes, and means for oscillating said lengthwise traveling web in the widthwise direction thereof as said striping material is deposited thereon, said oscillating means including a web engaging roll adjacent said reservoir and extending widthwise with respect to said Web, and cyclically operable means for reciprocating said roll with respect to said reservoir in the widthwise direction of said web to shift said 6 web laterally with respect to said orifices and cause the striping material to be deposited in an oscillating config uration on said web.

2. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and characterized further in that saidcyclically operable means incorporates a crank mechanism for reciprocating said web engaging roll.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and characterized further in that said cyclically operable means incorporates a cam for reciprocating said web engaging roll, and said roll is biased for following said cam.

4. Apparatus as defined in claim 1 and characterized further in that said oscillating means includes a Web guide roll spaced in parallel relation from said web engaging roll and reciprocable therewith, said web being trained over said web guide roll, and said web guide roll being adjustable with respect to said reservoir orifices to adjustably train the web in relation to said orifices.

5. Apparatus for applying stripes to a lengthwise traveling web of base material comprising a reservoir extending across said lengthwise traveling web and having a plurality of orifices spaced at intervals widthwise of said web for depositing striping material from said reservoir through said orifices and onto said web in the form of stripes, a pair of closely spaced feeding rolls mounted in said supply reservoir transversely of said web for feeding striping material into said reservoir and forcing said material in said reservoir outwardly through said orifices, a plurality of partition members disposed at the entrance side of the nip of said feeding rolls at intervals spaced lengthwise of said rolls and having arcuate notches for disposition over said feeding rolls for separating supplies of different colored striping material thereat for simultaneous feeding of the different colored striping material into said reservoir and discharge of the separate different colored striping material from said orifices, and means for oscillating said lengthwise traveling Web in the widthwise direction thereof as said striping material is deposited thereon, said oscillating means including a web engaging roll adjacent said reservoir and extending widthwise with respect to said web, and cyclically operable means for reciprocating said roll with respect to said reservoir in the widthwise direction of said web to shift said web laterally with respect to said orifices and cause the striping material to be deposited in an oscillating configuration on said web.

6. Apparatus for applying stripes to a lengthwise traveling web of base material comprising a reservoir extending across said lengthwise traveling web and having a plurality of orifices spaced at intervals widthwise of said web for depositing striping material from said reservoir through said orifices and onto said web in the form of stripes, a pair of closely spaced feeding rolls mounted in said supply reservoir transversely of said web for feeding striping material into said reservoir and forcing said material in said reservoir outwadly through said oifices, and a plurality of partition members disposed at the entrance side of the nip of said feeding rolls at intervals spaced lengthwise of said rolls and having arcuate notches for disposition over said feeding rolls for separating supplies of different colored striping material thereat for simultaneous feeding of the different colored striping material into said reservoir and discharge of the separate different colored striping material from said orifices in substantially separated condition.

7. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 and characterized further in that said partition members comprise a tongue element shaped at one end for closely confining disposition at the entrance side of the nip of said feeding rolls and partition plates at each side of said tongue element and extending over the respective feeding rolls, said parti- .tion plates having slotted edge portions disposed over opposite edges of said tongue element and being movable with respect to said tongue element for finding a proper riding disposition on said feeding rolls.

8. Apparatus as defined in claim 6 and characterized further in that separator plates are disposed in extending relation at the discharge side of said feeding rolls Within said reservoir with the adjacent end portions of said plates being shaped to conform closely with the discharge side of the nip of said rolls for channeling said different colored striping material to said discharge orifices in substantially separated condition.

523,358 Lawrence July 24, ,1894

8 Sandstrom Dec. 12, 1905 Wi-ttenberg Oct. 31', 1939 Chaussabel Oct. 22, 1940 Nobis Nov. 9, 1954 Ferguson et a1. Nov. 5, 1957 Timmons Apr. 7, 1959 Hrubec Sept. 15, 1959 Bender et a1. Apr. 4, 1961 

